Yesterday I lamented the potential banning of fire.
For those of you that don’t know, I live in a town that rivals Berkeley for nuttiness. Thanks to the progressive thinking fomented by Chico State University, Chico is often like an alternate reality in a sea of conservative rural farmers.
In today’s Chico Enterprise Record “Hits and Misses” we have another example of this.
The city of Chico is talking about raising all sorts of fees and fines in an effort to plug an enormous hole in its budget.
The council has for years approved spending millions of dollars it didn’t have, shifting money around to hide the problem. Now it’s out in the open, and citizens will pay dearly if they dare break city laws.
But there’s good news out there for nuclear bomb owners. The current fine for a first-time violation of the city’s nuclear-free ordinance is $1,064. Under a proposal to revise certain fines, a first-time offense will be reduced to $1,000.
For those of you new to town, this is not a joke.
http://www.chicoer.com/editorials/ci_23322509/editorial-hits-and-misses
No, really, it isn’t a joke.
No person shall produce, test, maintain, or store within the city a nuclear weapon, component of a nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon delivery system, or component of a nuclear weapon delivery system under penalty of Chapter 9.60.030 of the Chico Municipal Code.
Source: http://www.chico.ca.us/document_library/municode/Title9.pdf
On my Facebook page where I first mentioned this hilarity, Ric Werme had the best comment:
Ric Werme: Say what you will, but ever since the nuke ordinance law was passed, there have been no nuke ordnance explosions in town. Clearly that law has been more successful than the budget process!
Please excuse me, while I go enjoy some yellow cake while looking over my shoulder.
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Long, long years ago, in the sunshine that was the Maggie Thatcher era in the UK, when the drive to end the ‘Evil Empire’ ((C) Ron Reagan) by stationing cruise missile [some of which potentially had nuclear warheads] in Western Europe – and which helped bring down the Berlin Wall, in time – we had borough councils [governing say 250,000 people, in London that declared themselves ‘Nuclear-Free Zones’ .
Laughing too much, I never examined their local bye-laws to see if they had outlawed all nuclei, or simply prohibited nuclear weapons detonated over London from affecting their borough in any way [no matter which way the wind blew . . . .].
There were several – the one I remember particularly was the People’s Democratic Republic of Lambeth. I think Brent may have tried the same publicity grab, plus others, I believe.
Can’t be bothered to research this at 2020 LT, after a very good steak.
Auto.
From dbstealey on May 25, 2013 at 10:47 am:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/person
person n. 1) a human being. 2) a corporation treated as having the rights and obligations of a person. Counties and cities can be treated as a person in the same manner as a corporation. However, corporations, counties and cities cannot have the emotions of humans such as malice, and therefore are not liable for punitive damages.
First as many groups do for legal and tax reasons, they should incorporate their organization, which would make it a legal person. LLC (limited liability corporation) would be the way to go, if they expect any potential lawsuits like “wrongful death”. Thankfully as it’ll be impossible for them to act with malice, any judgments should be light.
They should go for nonprofit status, at least not-for-profit. For quick IRS approval, I’d recommend The Socialist Sharia Legal Center for Peace, it’d get rubber-stamped in a month.
Afterwards the organization’s unconventional methods of social protest will be eligible for full First Amendment protections. When the busybodies whine about them, the ACLU could help them fight the unconstitutional suppression of their religious liberties.
Then we might get some answers to pressing questions for charitable organizations in this modern age. Namely, how many bake sales does it take to afford a kilo of weapon-grade plutonium on the Russian black market?
You’re conflating parts (screws, bolts, etc) with components (plutonium core, detonation system, etc)
But there’s good news out there for nuclear bomb owners. The current fine for a first-time violation of the city’s nuclear-free ordinance is $1,064. Under a proposal to revise certain fines, a first-time offense will be reduced to $1,000.
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Just out of curiosity, what’s the fine for setting off a second nuclear bomb? Who would they expect to pay the fine?
But maybe the City Council is really out to get some ObamaBucks via Obamacare. Radiation therapy is used to treat cancer. Maybe one of those clauses that nobody in Congress had time to read before Obamacare was passed gives a bonus to any city that inhibits such treatment?
All Chico has to do is create an ordinance to ban the deficit, with a fine for allowing one to happen. Since deficits are becoming increasingly more likely, the incoming revenue stream from the deficit fines will eventually bring them to zero. Problem solved. I’m surprised that someone from Chico State (which turns up frequently on “Campus PD”) hasn’t promoted that.
Fines are part of the progressive tax system. In a day, you once got a speeding ticket. Now, with road congestion being what it is, speeding revenues were way down. So a couple of new measures were implemented – reduced speed zones within already-controlled speed zones, and seat-belts. But now everybody is buckling up, and its hard to get caught speeding in a reduced speed zone when the traffic congestion and people slowing down for the speed trap mean you’re barely moving. So revenues have dropped again.
But then some bright nanny-state non-nuclear spark noticed that given nobody’s going anywhere fast, they now have time to talk on their cellphones and play with their toys while waiting for traffic to clear in the reduced speed zones. So anti-cellphone laws came in. And when fidgety motorists finally get clear of the traffic, they tail end the light turning red ahead and get caught for running the light. This allows the cop in the next beat to pick them off for aggressive driving as they speed off pissed from all the delays previous. See? Progressive taxation -nothing to do with public safety.
Roy says:
May 25, 2013 at 12:19 pm
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It remains undefined legally what “to bear arms” means precisely. The US Supreme Court in the Miller case tried (& got it wrong, out of military ignorance) to define what constitutes a militia weapon, a related issue. Clearly portable small arms count. Some argue that towed, crew-served weapons do, too.
A “suitcase” or “backpack” tactical nuke would as well, in that case. The standard US SADM (special atomic demolition munition) of the 1960s, designed for use by Special Forces operators behind Warsaw Pact lines in WWIII, to blow up key bridges & other transport or supply nodes, came in “man-portable” pieces, weighing in total about 150 pounds.
In any case, the right to bear arms is not based on the Constitution, but in the natural or human right to self-defense, as well as defense of family, community, state & nation. The US Constitution just guarantees this right, along the lines of the now dead-letter British Bill of Rights.
Nuclear weapons require chemical HE, so at a minimum would fall under federal explosive devices legislation. There may be other statutes regarding “weapons of mass destruction”, but I don’t know about them.
Evanston, Illinois is ls the Midwest version of San Fran and Berkley:
“Evanston considering restriction on unmanned drones”
http://evanston.suntimes.com/19957591-781/evanston-considering-restriction-on-unmanned-drones.html
“The ultra progressive city has occasionally made a splash on national issues.
During the arms buildup of the ’80s, Evanston was one of the first communities to declare itself a nuclear free zone.
Members of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice, working with Alderman Jane Grover, drew up the drone resolution. It seeks to suspend “the use of drones in Evanston, either for surveillance or use as weaponization” (a very remote possibility, supporters agree), until state and federal legislators undertake meaningful regulations …”
@Jeff Alberts says:
…You’re conflating parts (screws, bolts, etc) with components (plutonium core, detonation system, etc)…
I would not be surprised to find that someone in Georgia is selling scrap components of old ICBM missile systems. Indeed, I believe that old missile silos are for sale in the US – I would not be surprised to find various scrap missile components in them. Here is the first googled example I could find – an AARAM, not an ICBM, but the principle is there. An ICBM is certainly a nuclear weapons delivery system – owning components of which is banned by the ordnance…
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/17/missile-for-sale-ex-israeli-sergeant-in-market-for-pawn-stars/
So owning a missile winglet or part of an old guidance gyroscope as a paperweight could cost you a thousand dollars…?
The Ancient Greeks solved the problem of rule by self-appointed elites through sortition, which fundamentals are well established, or in practice as jury selection and the conscription lottery. Already in common use/discussion are VoterID (pinakion) and voting-machines (kloteria).
Karl Popper distinguished democracies as being able to peacefully replace leaders without repair to revolution. With little difference among the parties in some aspects, our American Republic beggars this democracy.
There is a refrain used in Argentina that describes the town of Chico in more ways than one. The refrain originally came from Medieval Iberia. The refrain goes: “Pueblo chico infierno grande.”
Someone should put a sign of pueblo above the sign for Chico, or better yet, get the town wizards to change the name to Pueblo Chico. Spanish speakers will have a good laugh over this.
@Milodon; in re the Second Amendment RAKBA from natural law; well said! MOLON LABE Lord of Flies, ya putz!
The satellite town of Calgary, Alberta, i.e. Canmore, with a population of only a few thousand, was also a “nuclear-free zone”. I loved the sign (which is now gone).
The idea came from the anti-nukes who realised that the Feds did not have apparent or non-arguable rights to put nuclear silos or launch vehicles whereever they wanted. In the days of transportable nukes and the theory that if the enemy couldn’t find them, it couldn’t blow them up in a preemptive strike, the fear was that everywhere would become a target. So by declaring a municipality a “nuclear-free zone”, the Feds would have to declare, justify and run a publicity campaign to bring in an n-weapon, even briefly. Hardly useful as a weapon system.
One mobile launcher that mobilized a nation or more. Very impressive results, even if backwards.
I would like such a sign for my property, but I should advise the authorities that I am “eminently” disposed should a “nuisance” fee in at least two digits be presented with the plan.
Psst psst:
The tiltmeters used by the USGS to monitor ground deformation around California, and possibly near the Oroville dam, contain a sensor that originally came from the Minuteman III ICBM guidance system.
See http://www.chico.ca.us/document_library/municode/Title9.pdf Chapter 9.6. No fine mentioned. C’mon Anthony, you can do better than that. Are you sure the ordinance was passed by lefties?
REPLY: That’s the Wikipedia Reference, seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico,_California#Defense
And yes I’m certain, so is the newspaper editor, whom I know personally. The fines are in another section of the city code. You can actually go to jail too. See this article from 1983 when it was passed:
– Anthony
Psst psst again:
The soil moisture testers used by farmers, construction sites and road builders contain an Americium Beryllium neutron generator.
From Wikipedia “The City of Chico is a charter city and has a council–manager government. The City of Chico’s administration offices are located at 411 Main Street immediately adjacent to the City Council Chambers. Chico’s city council consists of seven nonpartisan councilmembers each elected at-large in November of even-numbered years” Oh snap, non-partisan.
REPLY: Oh please. What happens when a “non-partisan” body has more members of one political persuasion on it than another? I live here, I know the people and the history. You don’t.
These folks that voted in the nuke law were part of on ongoing effort by the people who started the “April Committee”:
http://chicowiki.org/April_Committee
From the book: Chico: Life and Times of a City of Fortune By Debra Moon
Murray, You live in Sarasota Florida, so please don’t lecture me about my own town of which you don’t know anything about. – Anthony
Hunt for Red October: “Give me one ping, one ping only, please”.
To the City of Chico: “I’ll be doing one test, one test only, thank-you”
Someone should point out to the enlightened denizens of Chico that they are being bombarded by the radiation from a nuclear fusion reaction. It should also be pointed out that they should wear radiation protective shielding in the form of a hat and clothing to prevent radiation damage.
“Please excuse me, while I go enjoy some yellow cake while looking over my shoulder.”
Yellowcake isn’t yellow cake. I did experimental studies in a yellowcake plant, and never saw any chocolate frosting at all.
“…created by people that must be on an LSD trip!”
LSD: Liberal Sagacity Delusion
There have been towns that banned DiHydrogen Monoxide in response to grassroots campaigns by concerned citizens (people yanking the chains of the elected morons).
“…or component of a nuclear weapon delivery system…”
You do realize that this is just about anything in your home? Wire, metal, paint, tires, ..?
Under this provision, they could arrest and fine you, with impunity, for the possession of almost anything.
I could put a 475 KT thermonuclear W88 warhead in the back of my delivery vehicle, aka Dodge pickup. Easily.
I also assume that Chico has scrubbed all the heavy water out of its municipal system.
Jim said May 25, 2013 at 9:39 am:
Get ready to move again, the stupidity is reaching endemic levels in Washington as well.
US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) put blame for the Skagit River I-5 bridge collapse on the Republicans. Besides Republicans obviously not spending on infrastructure for the last five years so they could hurt Obama politically, they’re also not allowing obvious solutions to our greatest-since-1930’s long term unemployment:
A tax hasn’t been raised since 1993, which is socially irresponsible, as raising taxes progresses society. If Republicans would just allow taxes to be raised until all Americans and undocumented eligible workers had jobs doing public sector work, all these problems would be gone and the US would be a freaking paradise.
All the Left Coast states are now lost to sanity, save Alaska which has the Canadian buffer zone, and are becoming increasingly devoid of any signs of non-stupidity, let alone glimmerings of intelligence. I recommend immediate evacuation of the remaining realists, followed by sealing the borders until the sickness consumes itself. The ones who are left won’t be able to tax themselves into happiness forever.
The anti-nuclear ordinance could actually impede university research into nuclear power, if they do any such thing.
Creating microscopic nuclear explosions, catalysed by a small stream of antimatter, is an active area of nuclear research. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter-catalyzed_nuclear_pulse_propulsion
Mind you, Chico University is unlikely to have the facilities to do anything of the sort.
I agree that Chico has more than it’s share of liberals, but please don’t roll Chico State under the bus. Among other things it turns out some fine engineers and they usually tend to be conservatives.